Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid (smart metering), home and building automation, smart cities, etc. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. For instance, LLNs communicate over a physical medium that is strongly affected by environmental conditions that change over time, and often use low-cost and low-power transceiver designs with limited capabilities (e.g., low throughput and limited link margin).
To help provide greater throughput and robustness, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) utilizes additional bandwidth by allowing transmission of multiple data streams across orthogonal subcarriers simultaneously to increase throughput. Adjusting the number of subcarriers and code-rate can vastly change the effective throughput of the link. In addition, Adaptive Tone Mapping is a process that dynamically selects which subcarriers and coding parameters to use when transmitting a data frame. The goal of Adaptive Tone Mapping is to maximize throughput and minimize channel utilization by only transmitting on usable subcarriers and optimizing the code-rate without sacrificing robustness. Current techniques for selection, allocation, and utilization of subcarriers, however, offer room for improvement.